NGF

The Next Generation Fellowship (NGF) is a leadership development and policy advocacy training for formerly incarcerated or justice-involved individuals from across California. It will support emerging leaders in 1) advancing racial justice and cultural healing, and 2) influencing state and local government through policy advocacy. The fellowship will focus on the movement to end mass incarceration with an emphasis on promoting healthy, safe communities.

Fellows will leverage their personal and professional experiences to drive transformative change in the justice system. Over three 2-day sessions, participants will take part in culturally-relevant activities intended to foster effective storytelling, civic participation, and strategic advocacy. Through NGF, fellows will recognize their lived experience as a form of expertise that can influence policy-making and strengthen campaigns for justice reform. NGF brings together a community of advocates and mentors that will provide ongoing support and connect fellows with opportunities for leadership in the justice reform field.

2018 New Generation Fellows gather for the first NGF training session in Sacramento, CA.

As co-facilitators of the fellowship, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) and Motivating Individual Leadership for Public Advancement (MILPA) seek to meet the diverse needs of formerly incarcerated and justice-involved individuals by creating a leadership pathway that prioritizes racial equity, building people power, and ending the practices that undervalue human potential and result in mass incarceration.